President Donald Trump's nominee for ambassador to Japan, George Glass, described the U.S.-Japan relationship as being at "an apex," during a hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on March 13, 2025. (U.S. State Department)
Citing a growing threat from China, the nominee for U.S. ambassador to Japan recently told senators he plans to ask Tokyo to increase its military spending.
“The sophistication of the Chinese is growing tremendously,” George Glass told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday. He said Japan should increase spending on military weaponry, improve its command-and-control systems, and provide greater support for American troops and bases.
“I do believe we’re going to have to go to the Japanese and talk about an increase in that support,” he said.
Glass described the U.S.-Japan relationship as at an “all-time high,” calling the two nations’ alliance an “apex” partnership based on close economic and military ties.
“Whether it’s China, Russia, North Korea, it’s all in [Japan’s] backyard,” he said, according to a video of the hearing posted online by the committee. “So, working together with them is of critical importance.”
His statement to the committee contrasted with remarks Trump made about Japan on March 6.
“We have a great relationship with Japan, but we have an interesting deal with Japan that we have to protect them, but they don’t have to protect us,” Trump told reporters, according to Kyodo News.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., asked Glass to reconcile the difference between his statement and Trump’s. Glass said it reflected the strength of the U.S.-Japan partnership.
“In any relationship, especially from the business standpoint, the closer you are, the more transparent you can be about discussions,” he said. “And in those discussions, money is always a part of it.”
Japan has agreed to increase its defense spending to 2% of its gross domestic product by 2027. Glass said Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has indicated Tokyo could offer additional increases pending further discussions.
“I look forward to discussing that with the Japanese and being able to come out with something that is favorable for both sides,” he said.
In December, Japan’s Cabinet approved the country’s largest-ever defense budget for the fiscal year beginning April 1. Japan is in the 13th year of annual defense spending increases, with plans for a 9.7% increase in fiscal 2026, totaling $54.8 billion, up from the current year’s $50.1 billion. The budget is projected to rise to about $56.1 billion by fiscal 2027.
Glass, who served as ambassador to Portugal during Trump’s first term, is a real estate developer, financier and securities trader from Oregon, according to his State Department biography.
“Mr. Glass is known for his business acumen, management skills and broad experience in technology investment banking and financing,” the biography states.
Glass — like his predecessor, Rahm Emanuel — has a reputation for taking a hardline stance on China.
The “sophistication of the Chinese is growing tremendously” and the cost of the rivalry between the U.S. and China is becoming more expensive, Glass told the committee.
Glass outlined plans to increase cooperation with Japan on cybersecurity, invest in co-producing weapons, and fast-track the supply of military equipment. Japan has a backlog of more than $50 billion worth of military equipment on order from the United States, he said.
“All of this is to thwart the pressure that China is placing on Japan,” he told the committee.
